Friday, September 06, 2013

Break Through Term 3!

We spent the first few weeks of this term building our knowledge around our break through projects. This was done by bringing what we know and discussing these ideas with our group members, experimenting and exploring with materials related to our topics, and researching details online (e.g. using youtube clips).

Here is the Science Group exploring the patterns that can be made when food colouring is added to Gloop. It took 2 weeks of experimenting to get the mixture just right! "We kept starting with too much water so we decided to add water slowly to the cornflour and it worked."

Recently we have taken this knowledge and begun making meaning of it by comparing and contrasting the experiments we have done, taken time to think about the results and then reflect on the group's next learning steps, and tried to connect our ideas together.

Here is the Art Group collaborating by connecting their design ideas together to make a single artwork which will be projected onto the whiteboard so that the learners can draw a larger version of it on canvas. Watch this space to see the final product!

Some groups are already taking action to apply their understanding by using their new knowledge to create and design a final product.

Here is the Model Making Group drawing the blueprints for the airplane they are planning to build. The plan is for the learners to be able to sit inside it!

Here is the Wood Work Group painting, sanding, and oiling their toad stools and wooden spoons. Watch out for these which will be for sale at the upcoming school fair next term!

Watch this space to see what great break through learning has been happening with some of our other groups!!

Balloons

We have been building our knowledge about balloons. The different types and what they can be used for. We have been experimenting with blowing them up and making shapes.

Using the pump was I challenge but I finally figured it out!! This is fun!

Magic

We have been learning about magic. What is real and what is an illusion? We had a guest show us a few tricks. She was able to guess what card we picked out. AMAZING!!